The proposed Social Work Research Development Center (SWRDC) strengthens the institutional infrastructure and develops the capability of individual faculty members to conduct mental health services research. The Center builds upon the Director's current NIMH-funded services research on children at risk, the research backgrounds and expertise of core social work faculty who have strong records of empirical research related to children at risk, and the research backgrounds and expertise of senior scientists from medicine, sociology, psychology, and child and family studies. Using four interdisciplinary research teams, an existing comprehensive data collection system that spans five state agencies, a research coordination system maintained by the Center, and other support mechanisms, the Center provides the infrastructure to support research focused on four key areas: (1) The organization and structure of services to children at risk; (2) special problems associated with antisocial and aggressive children; (3) child and family assessment in services to children in custody; and (4) child welfare services. In addition, the Center's infrastructure and resources are used to develop the research capacity of social work faculty who have had limited research experience and to train doctoral students who intend to pursue careers in mental health services research. Through participation in the Center's workshops, symposia, institutes, and four interdisciplinary research teams, 16 (mostly junior) social work faculty with no previous mental health services research experience and 20 social work doctoral students will be trained to conduct mental health services research during the Center's first five years. Also, by developing further the Public Academic Liaisons (PALs) established in previous and current NIMH- funded research, we intend to more closely integrate the research efforts of the University and the service efforts of the multiple state systems that serve children at risk.